Free Rock Bottom by Jamie Canosa Page B

to Harvard to study pre-med.” My father said it as though it were a foregone conclusion. “If you can still manage to get in by some miracle.”
    “What if that’s not what I want?”
    “It is what you want. It’s what you’ve always wanted!”
    “It’s what you’ve always wanted!”
    My father went rigid at the accusation in my voice, but I wouldn’t back down. Not on this. It was too important.
    “I will not allow you to throw away a future we’ve all worked so hard for on some bullshit teenage rebellion crap. I thought we’d passed that by with you. I thought you had your head on straight. I don’t know where this newfound defiance has come from or what inspired your recent lazy streak, but it ends now. You will get yourself together and get back on track or, so help me, you will not like the consequences.” My father’s face was bright red and his entire body shook with suppressed anger. “Get to your room. Now! ”
    Part of me wanted to plant my feet and keep talking until I could make him hear me, but it wouldn’t happen. He’d never listen, no matter what I said. None of it would make a difference to him. The other part of me that just wanted to be as far away from him as humanly possible took the chance to escape and booked it to my room as fast as my feet could carry me.
    With the way they looked when I bailed, I knew they’d both be up for a while still. I couldn’t risk calling Elijah and having my father overhear, so I pulled out my cell and shot him a quick text.
    They never listen.
    His reply came almost instantaneously.
    Take it things didn’t go well?
    Not exactly. Pretty sure I’m grounded for the rest of my natural born life.
    But they let you keep your phone?
    They’re new to this grounding thing. Let’s just hope they don’t figure it out.
    House arrest hasn’t stopped us before. When can I see you again?
    I craved his presence, his touch, the sound of his voice, his laugh, and even those damn dimples. I craved them like a drug. And the drug . . . I craved it, too. I longed not to care, not to keep hearing my father’s angry words echoing through my brain, not to feel them scrape away at my heart just a little bit more each time. Not to feel guilty, and hurt, and angry and alone. But . . .
    I’ve probably tempted fate a little too much this weekend.
    You’ll be at school tomorrow, right?
    Of course I will.
    Of course you will. I’ll see you there, then. Sweet dreams, Rylie.
    Good night, Elijah. See you tomorrow.
    I hated saying goodbye to him. It left me alone with my thoughts. Thoughts that plagued me through the night and straight into the break of day. When my alarm went off, my eyes were puffy and sore. I’d sworn to myself that I wouldn’t cry. Not for people who didn’t understand me, didn’t even try to understand me, and didn’t care. It hadn’t mattered. Sometime in the dark the thoughts and words of failure and disappointment overwhelmed me and I surrendered to them.
    ***
    Worn out and weary, the last thing I wanted was to find Carrie and Angela staking out my locker like a pair of the Queen’s guards.
    “I called you like a billion times. What happened? We had plans and you completely blew us off, Ry.” Carrie upset was a rare sight and it gnawed at my gut that I’d been hitting ignore on calls from both her and Angie all weekend, but I really hadn’t been up to talking to them.
    “Your name isn’t on the schedule for the meet this weekend.” Angela’s tone rang with accusation.
    “I know.”
    “You know? What is going on with you, Rylie?” She flipped her golden hair over her shoulder and folded her arms. Angie wasn’t big enough to be intimidating physically, but the girl wore an air of self-importance that could make even full grown men want to cower.
    “Nothing. I . . .” There was no use hiding it from them. They’d know soon enough anyway. Everyone would. “I’ve been benched.”
    “ Benched? ” Evidently, everyone would know now